Electric winding device



F. SAUTEH.

ELECTRIC WINDING DEVICE.

APPLICATION FILED DEC. 13. 1919.

Patented July 12, 1921.

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ELECTRIC WINDING DEVICE.

APPLICATION FILED 050. I3. 1919.

1,384,352. Patented July 12, 1921.

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I FRITZ SAUTER, OF BASEL, SWITZERLAND.

ELECTRIC WINDING DEVICE.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented July 12, 1921.

Application filed December 13, 1919. SeriaI'No. 344,590.

To all whom it concern:

Be it known that I, FRITZ SAUTER, a citizen of the Swiss Republic, and resident of Basel, Switzerland, have invented new and useful Improvements in Electric Winding Devices, of which the following is a full,. clear, and exact specification.

a The presentinvention relates to electric winding-up devices for clockworks and other mechanisms of this kind that is to say an electric motor device with means for connccting and disconnecting periodically said electric motor for winding up the clockwork or other mechanism, so that the main spring or weight of the clockwork or other mechanism is always rewound to an extent corresponding to the extent to which the mechanism has run down.

In the accompanying drawing three constructional forms of the improved device are illustrated diagrammatically. v

-Figure 1 shows in front elevation, Fig. 2 in plan view and Fig. 3 in side elevat1on the preferred form;

Fig. '4 illustrates another constructional form of the device.

Fig.5 shows in front elevation and Fig. 6 in plan view the third form similar to the controlled lock.

Referring nowto Figs. 1, 2 and 3 the spring barrel of a clockwork mechanism is first one. but completed by an additional time 1 "indicated at 1, the barrel being pivotally mounted on an arbor 1 to which the spring barrel is secured in a known manner. 11 the arbor 1 is mounted the driving gear wheel 2, transmitting movement as indicated at 2 to the clock movement (not shown), the arbors of this movement and the arbor, 1 being mounted in the frame plates 12, 13 of the mechanism. The spring barrel 1 is arranged to be rotated by means of a toothed pinion 4 mounted on an arbor 3 and engaging with a toothed crown, on the spring barrel. On the outer side of the frame plate 18 a gear wheel. 5 is mounted on the arbor 3, this gear wheel intermeshing with a pinion 6 mounted on the electric motor shaft and being consequently driven thereby when the motor is operative. The electric motor itself is only indicated in the drawings by its commutator 7 on which are located the carbon brushes 8 supplorted in brush holders-9. The carbon brus es 8 are maintained in engagement with the commutator 7 by means of springs 10 in a known manner. The field winding of the motor 1s indicated at 11.

The controlling device itself comprises'a rotatable screw-threaded spindle 16 on WhlCll is mounted an internally screwthreaded toothed pinion 14 which inter meshes with the toothed crown of the spring barrel 1, further it comprises a reversin lever mechanism indicated at 17, 18, 19 and an electric contact mechanism 23, 25, 26, 36. The screw-threaded spindle 16 is arranged. to be rotated in the direction of the arrow by means of the pinion 15 which is secured to the spindle 16 and is driven by. the wheel 2. Assuming-that the thread of the spindle 16 1s right-handedthe pinion 14 will be moved axially toward the side A of the mechanism b the rotation of the, clock movement. he axial length of the pinion 14 is such that the pinion during this axial movement remains continuously in engage ment with the toothed crown of the spring barrel. 1; As soon, however, as the electric motor rewinding the spring barrel 1 is rotated, the pinion 14 together with the spring barrel. is also rotated inthe direction indicated by the arrow, and is moved along the spindle 16 toward the side B of the mechanism. This return movement of the pinion 14 isnow utilized for the purpose of connesting and disconnecting the electric contact mechanism above referred to by means of the reversing lever mechanism 17, 18,19. The contact mechanism comprises a fixed contact pin.36 which is connected to a source of electric current, and a spring contact 26 which'is electrically connected to one of the brushes 8 of the electric motor by means of a flexible conductor 27 The spring contact 26 is attached by means of an insulating packing 25 to the control lever 23, which is adapted to rockabout the pivot 24. The shaft 17 adjacent to the side B of the mechanism is provided with a reversing arm 19 and toward the side A with a hook-shaped reversing arm 18. On the outer side of the frame-plate 13 the shaft 17 which is parallel to the screw-threaded spindle 16 is provided with a positioning arm 21 provided with a pin 22, which serves either to hold the lever 23 in its"ofl position as shown in Fig. l in full lines, or permits this lever to move to its on position shown in dotted lines under the action of the spring 30. Thepinion 14 is provided on the face opposite the side Bof the mechanism with a stop 20.

The operation of this form of controlling device is as follows:

lVhen the gear wheel 2 is rotated due to the clockwork or other mechanism runnin down, the pinion 14 is gradually moved axially along the screw-threaded spindle 16 toward the side A (see Fig. 3) and finally engages with an inclined projection on the arm 18. This arm is thereby angularly displaced and brou ht into the position shown in dotted lines *igs. 1 and 3) the resultant movement of the arm 21 with its pin. 22 permits the control lever 23 to be moved under the action of the spring 30, and the motor circuit isther-eby closed at the contact 36 by means of the spring contact 26 so that the motor is rendered operative for rewinding.

The pinion 14, which is rotated by the spring barrel 1 being thus rewound by the electric motor, is moved axially toward the side B until the stop 20 on the pinion 14 finally engages with the arm 19 causing the latter to be moved. from the position shown in dotted lines to the position indicated in full lines. The circuit through which operating current is supplied to the electric motor is thereby again interrupted. As the pinion 15 has the same number of teeth as the pinion 14, the spring barrel is always rewound by the action above described to the same extent that the arbor 1 carrying the gear wheel 2 of the clockwork mechanism was unwound.

In Fig. 4 another constructional form it illustrated in which the supply of current to the electric motor instead of being interrupted by a special contact mechanism (26, 36) is interrupted by raising one of the commutator brushes of the electric motor from the commutator. The carbon brush 8 on the right hand side for example, is attached to a rod34, which bymeans of an insulatingconnection 33 is pivotally connected to the lever 31, through a shackle or fork 32. The lever 31 is pivotally mounted as indicated at 35 but otherwise the lever 31 is operated exactly as above described under the action of the reversing lever mechanism 17, l8, 19 which effects in this case the electrical engagement of the carbon brush 8 with the commutator, or raises the brush oil the commutator, so as to connect or disconnect the electric motor.

In the event of accidental interruption in the supply of electric current the clockwork. mechan sm continues to operate under its reserve of spring power, and the pinion 14 moves continuously toward the side A of the mechanism. As soon, however, as the supply of current is restored the electric motor rewinds the spring barrel until the stop 20 of the pinion 14 effectsthe interruption of the motor circuit.

By varying the gear ratio of the gearing between the spring barrel 1 and the gear 'or by varying the pitch of the screw thread on the spindle 16, it is ossible to determine the duration of the rewmding periods, or the duration of the period during which the spring barrel is permitted to run before rewinding is effected.

The duration of the rewinding periods can also be determined at will, if the pinion 14 is arranged to have a greater or less range of axial movement between the position of its engagement with the stop 20 and with the hook of the arm 18.

Figs. 5 and 6 show a form provided with means to suspend the action of the reversing lever mechanism after its actuation through the medium of a movable lock until the lat ter is released at one and the same predetermincd time and allows then of the action of the reversing lever mechanism. The adpose is combined'with the lever 23 and comprises a locking lever 41 normally engaging with a pin 40 on the lever 23 by the action of a spring 42 so that the lever 23 is locked in its inoperative position until the lockin lever 41 is released. This release is caused from the hour disk 43 by means of a finger 44 fixed on the sameor adjustable thereon to a predetermined time, said finger, when the hour disk rotates, acting at a predetermined time upon a pin 46 of the locking lever 41'to lower the same out of engagement with the lever pin 40. Thus, when the lever-23 is released by reason of the angular displacement of the'stop arm 21 to the dotted position and if this moment of releasing does not coincide with the releasing moment for the locking lever 41, the lever 23 still remains locked by the lever 41 until finally at the predetermined time the finger 44 depresses the locking lever 41 and thus permits of free movement of lever 23 for the purpose of its normal function.

What I claim is:

1. In electric winding-up devices for clockworks and'other mechanisms of this kind, the combination with a motive member for the mechanism of a toothed crown connected therewith, an electric motor for winding up the motive member, connection means between the electric motor and the toothed crown of the motive member, a 1'0- tary screw threaded spindle, means to drive toothed pinion screwed upon said screw threaded. spindle and arranged to engage the toothed crown of the motive member, said pinion being capable of axial movement along the screw threaded spindle to the one or other side, a rocking shaft parallel to the screw threaded spindle, a three-armed lever system mounted on said rocking shaft and comprising two reversing lever arms arthe same from the running mechanism, a a

ranged respectively on either side of said pinion with means to alternately reverse the same according to whether the pinion travels to the one or other side, and a positioning arm to be positioned by said rewersing lever arms, a control lever arranged to be controlled by said positioning arm and means for switching in or out the current supply to said electric motor in dependence of said control lever, substantially as and for the purpose described.

2. In electric winding-up devices for clockworks and other mechanisms of this kind, the combination with a motive member for the mechanism of a toothed crown connected therewith, an electric motor for winding-up the motive member, connection means between the electric motor and the toothed crown ofthe motive member, a rotary screw threaded spindle, means to drive the same from the running mechanism, a toothed pinion screwed upon said screw threaded spindle and arranged to engage the toothed crown of the motive member,

said pinion being capable of axial movement along the screw threaded spindle to the one or other side, a rocking shaft parallel to the screw threaded spindle, a three-armed lever system mounted on said rocking shaft and comprising two reversing lever arms arranged respectively on either side of said pinion with means to alternately reverse the same according to whether the pinion travels to the one or other side, and a positioning arm to be positioned by said reversing lever arms, a control lever arranged to be controlled by said positioning arm, means for switching in or out the current supply to said electric motor in dependence of said control lever, a movable lock for said control lever, and a timed releasing member arranged to release said loc'k at a predetermined time so as to free the said control 

